Drawing on the demonic aura had once absorbed, Jared disguised himself as a Demonic Cultivator. With Aurelius and Artemis flanking him, strode toward the gate.
The gate guards studied them, sniffing for treachery. Seeing only a rolling demonic aura, they grunted and stepped aside.
Inside, the devastation was worse. Empty streets echoed. Swaggering Demonic Cultivators walked past. The shops on the roadside were closed. Some windows and doors of the shop were smashed. The inside was empty.
They crept along the deserted avenue until a colossal palace emerged. The palace was once the city lord’s mansion. Now, Malevolent Path Hall had occupied the place.
Dozens of Demonic Cultivators holding demonic blades guarded the palace entrance, eyeing the surroundings.
“The cultivators they had captured earlier must be locked up inside…” Jared’s voice fell to a hush, yet the conviction in it sharpened like steel.
Meanwhile, a Demonic Cultivator stepped through the palace doors, holding a name list and said, “By order of the Soul Devourer, all captives seized today are to be herded to the rear altar. The ritual begins at once!”
The black-armored guards saluted, then turned on their heels and marched toward the holding cells, torches snapping in the night air.
Jared, Artemis, and Aurelius traded a single, urgent glance. No words were needed. They slipped after the escort.
Down a stone corridor, they crept until the stink of damp straw and iron chains announced the dungeon. From within came the choked mix of sobs and curses from the cultivators.
A gate groaned open. Guards prodded every weakened cultivator into a shuffling line, forcing them toward the courtyard beyond.
Jared’s trio blended in among the guards, their heads bowed, their eyes alert, as they mapped the surroundings.
The courtyard had a massive altar. It was carved with creepy runes. The runes were flashing with black light. Malevolent aura filled the air.
A few cultivators from the Malevolent Path Hall surrounded the altar. They held a talisman and mumbled to themselves, preparing a ritual.
“This is bad,” Aurelius hissed, panic flaring across his gaze. “They’re starting the ritual!”
Jared inhaled, steadying his pulse, then flicked a quick signal. Artemis and Aurelius nodded. Three hands moved as one.
A sunburst of gold sword energy, a surge of violet spiritual energy, and a lance of pure white radiance exploded outward, scything through the Malevolent Path Hall cultivators.
Caught unaware, the Demonic Cultivators collapsed like wheat before a storm, their cries snuffed. The other cultivators surged toward Jared and the others. The black demonic aura rolled toward them.
“Move! Get the prisoners clear!” Jared shouted, parrying a clawed gauntlet while his shield of golden light flared brighter. He never stopped moving, carving a path between terrified captives and the open gates.
Freed cultivators seized their chance, sprinting for the city wall, shackles clanging against cobblestones as they fled toward dawn.
A towering Demonic Cultivator commander, eyes blazing crimson, charged from the altar. A black spear whistled in his hands.
“Intruders! You die tonight!” roared, hurling a torrent of rolling demonic aura straight at Jared.
Jared answered with every ounce of Draconian bloodline possessed. Golden spiritual energy erupted around him, knitting a radiant shield that met the spear’s onslaught head-on.
Impact thundered like a mountain splitting. Shockwaves cratered the courtyard floor, flinging debris and sparks high into the sky.
Artemis and Aurelius darted forward, blades raised, intent on slipping into the maelstrom to aid Jared.
“No! Get the others out!” Jared barked over the fight, eyes never leaving his foe. “This worthless trash is mine!”
Jared wanted Aurelius and Artemis to rescue the cultivators. Aurelius and Artemis shared a glance then followed Jared’s orders.
Jared himself now stood alone on the broken plaza. He was only an Earthly Immortal Realm Level Two, yet faced a demon general at terrifying Level Nine. Yet, It was not a problem for him.
“You’re just an Earthly immortal Realm Level Two. How dare you act so arrogantly?” the demon general roared, voice scraping across the ruins. He lunged, spear arcing forward in a vicious comet of dark light.
“A worthless trash,” Jared muttered, contempt curling his lip.
The Dragonslayer Sword flashed. One effortless swing, and the blade’s gale howled like a storm. The demon general was hurled back a hundred paces, blood spilling from nose and mouth before his boots even scraped the ground.
“You…” The word fractured in his throat, terror overriding fury. For the first time, the demon general realized the man before was powerful.
